A component of the course “Filling the Pipeline: Agricultural Drainage Education to Meet 21st Century Water Management Needs”
Instructor: Dr. Laura Christianson, University of Illinois
Overview: This module introduces the concept of conservation drainage and describes several conservation drainage practices. This is intended for students, conservation professionals, landowners, and agency officials. Note, the practices of controlled drainage, drainage water recycling, and denitrifying bioreactors are described fully in their own stand-alone modules.
Zip file of contents
Outline, PowerPoint, Quiz
Learning Objectives:
After completing this module, students will be able to:
- Define and provide examples of conservation drainage.
- For the practices of reduced drainage intensity, blind inlets, constructed wetlands, saturated buffers, and P-sorbing filters, describe:
- Their mode of action
- Benefits and opportunities
- Implementation challenges
- Develop familiarity with USDA NRCS Conservation Practice Standards
Step by Step Guide to Complete the Module:
- Define and provide examples of conservation drainage.
- Watch video 1: “Conservation drainage overview” (8:21 min)
- Answer this thought question: What is the Golden Rule of Drainage? Do you agree with this “rule”?
- Watch video 1: “Conservation drainage overview” (8:21 min)
- Describe the mode of action, benefits, and challenges for a variety of conservation drainage practices.
- Watch video 2: “Reduced drainage intensity” (8:03 min)
- Watch video 3: “Blind inlets” (9:16 min)
- Watch video 4: “Constructed wetlands” (11:22 min)
- Optional: Watch the Illinois Water Resources Center “Reducing nitrogen losses with nature's kidneys” video (5:26 min).
- Watch video 5: “Saturated buffers” (12:11 min)
- Watch video 6: “Phosphorus-sorbing filters” (8:37 min)
- Develop familiarity with USDA NRCS Conservation Practice Standards.
- Thought question/activity: I presented Conservation Practice Standards for underground outlets and saturated buffers, but are there Conservation Practice Standards for any of the other practices I discussed? Visit your state’s NRCS Field Office Technical Guide to search (https://efotg.sc.egov.usda.gov/#/).
- Perform the quiz.
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture (award number 2018-70003-27661). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
